Knockdown crate.



7 1.. m 0 T M a 9 n 1 w m 0 Z n W E H D. m w m D m i N & E

A. WILLIMAN. KNOGKDOWN CRATE. APPLIOATION FILED FEB 21 1907 WITNESSES AH0 ME rs atop section 0 Each 'sidesection A and A -.and end section Aand A consists of vertical A battens 11 to .which are secured anydesired apackedin an small compass, and ,asreadily aIid quicklyset up.to receive: merchandise,

figuresn H 2' V Figure '1' is ;a perspective view of, the comis'fjalongitudinal section through the crate;

;Thecrateconsists of six-separab e'sections,

crate more than that number may-be employed, as for exampl'e indicai sdin'lF1gV4, ,wherein the severalsections of the crate are of the saidside andend sections of: the crate ST S I i i ANTON inim-massesxnocirnowncnn'fn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON WILLIMAN,;8., citizenfof; the United States,and a'residcnt of Washington, in.the county ofBerkshi're and State ofMassachusetts, have inventedv a new and useful Im rovement in Knock- Thepurpose of the. invention. is to fprovide a simple and economicconstruction of a mits of the members of'the crate being expeand whereintho-{cover can! bee ually ;conveniently and expeditiously p aced andlocked in. position or. unlocked iandremoved' from the body-of thecrate. i

. The invention consists in the novel construction and combination .ofthetseveral' parts as will bev hereinafter. fully set forth and pointedout inthe claims.

7 Reference is tobe hadtolthe accom any-; ing drawings forming apart'lof this specifi cation, in which similar characters of-referenceindicate corresponding :parts in all the plete crate setupfortifansportation; Fig i l2i Fig. is .a horizontal section takenthrough onecorner ofthe crate practically on the line 3713 of Fig. 1,the view being drawnupon an enlarged scale; and Fig. 4is an edge view ofl the members of the crate separatedandfolded for return delivery or forstora e;

namely: two side sections A andA, two end sections A? and ,A a bottomsection Band a numberiof' horizontal slats 10, located one above theother, .being placed at desired in; tervals apart; Although qtwo battensonly" are shown in Fig' 1, in the construction of a folded one upon theother. I These slats 10 eirtend beyond :their connectingbattens orstandards 11, and such projecting ends of the r v Specification ofLetters Patent. '4 I v Application filed I'abruaryfll. 1907- Serial No.358-536. i a

' slats are designated "in -the-idrawing less there was some .meansother]; than Zthe veniently'removedfromiposition so as to strips, 16that oorre'spondgt'o the battens or shown'm Figs 1 and2.

s. as; 2 and in each-'proj eating" end-1210f zeachslati if), a verticaloove-13 sis prqducedmnd when the side an end sectionsiareaplacedtogetherthe projecting ends0f:.-on'e; Sld6:1.,-'S6Gtl0D;i;-21II madeto enterthe:spacebetweenthe prdject ing endsofthe opposingyor abuttingsection,whereby the vertical; grooves 13 $111 the: ex tending ends 12 of theslats 10.:arebro11ghtin alinementso as toreceive a c'nnnectingfirod a 15that-is passed-down, one-atreach,ycornerjof the crate through thealining' grooves 1 3, as is. particularly shown in Fig 2 1 ,50 gas t"the said side sections -together -but xthe-1 rods 15 would not accomlish; this liesultun- 351 grooves 13. .to hold them.place-.c vSuchmeansconsists of hooks l 4--that,.-extendgfiom the o uter edges of thebattensoiruprights -1.1

between the projecting endscl 2 ,ofl-t e accompanying'slats 10, as isshown in Figsalvandg z,

and thes'e hooks 14 which. are preferablyiof a spring character 1encircle; the itie ornlocke ing ins 15 to a greatewon-lesser extentandatst e same time admit of-usaid'lockingortie p ns ei g not only, a eadly nd awqllickly placed in position, vbut asspeedi'ly andycii assemblethe parts of the crate. The bottom B consistslofg horizonta tie uprights1-1 of: the sid'ey and; end {sectional-pf the crate fand slatsL'Zgsecureditq said tie. strips, and in assemblingthe partsof hecr'ate'after the last' side is placed in positiQl ,i h b m is i r c dandtheed @fithe slats '17 are made I to extendovengand -rest upon-theupper edges of opposing-lo rslats 10 of opposing side members jA and iAasiis The cover C is of peculiar 'constructio It is adapted to becontracted when placed'inposition and it is expanded;to.,;locl g it, inposition, and it is necessary,,that :cover should be of very simpleconstruction so that its operation can be-resdilyunderstood by any ersonofordinary intelligence .thaten I have ,made the QQV6Ij;, 1I ,l tions 0and c, the sections being sli and; from each other. The section prisestwo end slats 16%. .a1rd,1-'Zgthat suitably spaced and-"centrally coatedrespondingly spaced slats,18;aDdlQgtogether with any desired numberpofparallel singl sired number of cross slats 22. 1'0

.upp'er'slats 20, andthe double slats 16 and 17' and 18 and 1 9are'held' suitably spaced apart byslats 21 that run in the samedirectron as do the slats 10 of the side members of the crate, asis bestshown in Fig. 2.

The, sectiomc of the'cover C consists of a series of slats 22 parallelwith and adapted to slide between the slats'21;. and any de- In Fig. 1the section-c is shown rovided with but two sets of double slats 1 a and17*, 18' and 19, and the section a. with but two arallel slats 22. Thisnumber was selecte in order to render the view more clear, but in'Fig',2 a ,5

larger numberof sin le slats 20 are added to the section a and t e slats22 are added m1 Icrojssbars, namely, the u '2 slat 2% Of'thG section aaredrawn together,

to the section 0, since I desireit to be understood that the crate maybe constructed in any desired size. ,.-The slats 22- ofthe sections passthrough the spaces between the double slats 16 17,

.18 and 19, and in placing the cover in p01 sition 'onfthe body of thecrate the two cen- I per cross bar IS-of? the section 0, and the ajacent'bar or thus shortening up the cover in one direction, enablingiitto be readily placed in position on the u er -.e d es of the sidesections A and A'- w ch are ower than the correspondigijgt portions ofthe end sections A and A er the cover is in position on the body ofthebox, the upper cross bar18 of the section c and the bar or slat 22 ofthe sectirn a that. had been drawn together or forced apart, thuscarrying the ends of their crossmg slats 21 and 22 below the edges'ofthe '11 per slats 10 of the end sectionsflA and A o? the crate asis'shown in, Fig.2, and" the cover is held inits locking position by'means of springs 23 located between the central held so until thesprings 23 are pressed downward into suitab e slats provided for them inthecustomary way in their sup oi'ts, and when the two said slats 18 and22*? are drawn to ether the springs being pressed downwar one of thebars rightin over the I so arated they are said springs will beheldlocked re atively to the o posing bar'nntil purposely separated thereom. v

.When the sections of the box havebeen 'acked one upon the ot er,-as isshown in l ig. 4, occup 'ng' but a small'amount of room, and the s atsofone side section being made to enter the spaces between the slats ofanother side section,

own. as umbrella springs, being the bottom is then fitted in the samemanner upon theupplerinost' side section, folded or packed'andltenthec'overis adapted to the bottom, the sections being adjusted untilthe slats of the cover. fit in between the spaces of the -slatsof thebottom, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the tie rods 15 are placed inthe grooves of the various sections bein held in place by the springkeepers or hoo s 14 I an 7 in this manner the said rods are notliable-to become lost and are always'at hand for use.

I desire it to be understood that in. practice the slats 22 are arrangedcloser together than shown, and said slats 22 are also much closer tothe slats 21,"so as to render the top stronger than it appears; I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 7 "1. In a knockdown .erate, -independent side andend sections having interlocking knuckle connections, which connectionsare provided with vertically alining longitudinal grooves, retainingmembers carried by said" section located between their knuckles, tie

V rods received by the grooves of the knuckles and said retainingmembers, a removable top section in two parts" slidable one upon theother and ada ted -to befiinserted between the side an end sections andexanded to retain said members'in place, a

, ocking device carried by one top section for engagement with theother, and a removab e bottom supported by the body of the crate.

2. In a knockdown crate, interlocking and separable side and endsections, each section being -constructed of end standards, and

horizontal slats secured to'the standards, the ends of the slatsextending beyond theouter longitudinal edge of the standard, theprojecting ends of thejslats of adjoinin sections being one above theother and sai projecting ends" being rovided with alining grooves,-

tie rods passe through the grooves of the interlocking projecting endsof the slats, locking devices 'forthe-rods, a separable top constructedin 'sliding sections, and'adapt'ed to be inserted between the side andend sections and expanded to retain said members in place and aremovable bottom supported by the said side and end sections.

3. In a knockdown crate, a body composed of separable side and endsections,

each consist1ng of standards and slats e'rossirigthe standardsandextending beyond the outer longitufiinal edges of the outer standard,said prejecting ends of the slats constitiiting knuckles, the knucklesof one section having interlocking connection with those 'of anabuttingsection, said knuckles being pro.- videdwith. alininglongitudinal grooves,

retaining members located between said knuckles, tie rods passed throughthe.retain-v seams a ing members entering the said groeves, and e nameto this specification in the presence of seetlonal slideble top for thebody, and adapt i two subscribing witnesses.

ed to be inserted between the side and end 1 sections and ex ended toretain said mem- ANTON WBJLIMAN 5 bers in place an a removabie bottomthere- Witnesses:

for. FRED W. STRAY,

In jtesfimony whereof I have signed my P. M. TAYLOR.

